Montgomery's Cypress Nature Park: Where the wild things are (photos)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Standing on the Capitol steps in
Montgomery it is hard to fathom that just a mile away, on the edge of downtown,
hundreds of untouched acres of wetlands, ravines and bluffs sit unknown to most who work,
play and live in the area.

The quiet corner could be the city's next outdoor destination and educational learning tool.

The seemingly forgotten land is home to many species, both plants and animals, indigenous to the central Alabama area -- all in the downtown's backyard.

The 250 acres of land owned by the City of Montgomery is an
untapped educational resource and wealth of information about habitats. The
city, along with the Montgomery Nature Conservancy, are in the beginning stages
of creating a nature park within the marsh.

Bill Campbell, vice president of the Montgomery Nature
Conservancy, has been exploring the Cypress Nature Park wetland for three years. He's
surveyed much of the land and cut out several paths where he frequently takes
curious explorers on weekend tours. Still, he finds something new every Saturday morning, he says.

"The finds are excellent. The bird watching alone is worth making the trip out here every weekend. The more we find and the more we
discover about this place the more we are going to know what to do with it," he
said.

As of right now, the two groups are working to create a public nature park through the swamp, something Campbell said will have multiple benefits for Montgomery residents.

"Not only will preserving this land serve as an educational tool, it will raise property values for the increasing amount of downtown residential properties because now, people will have a place to get outside and be in the wilderness -- perhaps go on that two mile run or stroll with the dog -- right in their backyard. The downtown area currently does not offer anything like that."

Right now the groups are one month into conducting a 24-month survey that will help determine the placement of the proposed two mile boardwalk through the swampland. They're also working on getting grant money to pay for the project and testing the area for toxic materials.